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6th graders want to share
their ideas about technology
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What do we do?
KnowledgeContext is an
educational not-for-profit corporation that helps young people think
critically about technology. KnowledgeContext believes that all children
should be offered the tools for thriving in a world where technology is
changing how we study, what careers are available, the issues on which we
vote, what we buy, and how we take care of ourselves.
Why is It
so important?
Technology pervades our world like never before. It plays a part in every
political, social, and economic decision we make. And it changes ever more
rapidly, which means children will not be able to function in society
without the ability to think about technology from a big picture
perspective. Knowing how to use the newest computer or cell phone is not the
same as knowing how to put technology—all technology, past, present,
AND future—into context.
Unfortunately, “technology education” in our schools often
teaches technological competency (how to operate technology)
not technological literacy (how to understand and evaluate it).
Critical thinking about costs and benefits becomes more important as technologies become more powerful and have greater
societal impact. See a comic strip
introduction.
How are we
doing it?
Our approach is to provide tools that put
technology into context (from the first stone tools to the printing press to genetic engineering) and enable
us to understand and evaluate technology. Our primary tool is a
curriculum called ICE-9,
which we provide to
teachers for integration into their classrooms. ICE-9 connects technology to
the core standards being taught in 5th-8th grade classrooms,
and has been used in Santa Cruz, Berkeley, Sacramento, and San Jose, California.
We promote the curriculum and its underlying concepts to teachers, parents,
school administrators, and other concerned parties through our
book, conference
presentations (video),
media interviews, and other outreach efforts.
Print our brochure or watch an interview with a parent. See what you can do to help. Or
search our site.
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